My 1000w PSU died this week and so I did research to find the best replacement. I need enough watts to power two Nvidia Geforce SLI graphics cards, 6 internal drives and a quad core processor. I read that the recommended rating for running SLI or Crossfire is at least 550w , but to make sure I looked for one which was advertised as 'SLI ready'.

Here is a quick summary of the main PSU brands available at the moment - and then my final choice...

Antec

The company that makes the best PC cases (in my opinion) have also cornered the PSU market, with it's TruePower Quattro (550W/650W/750W/850W/1000W/1200W) Modular psu's, and the High Current Gamer/Pro Series. Very good reviews mentioned outstanding performance, good value, excellent functionality but noisier than average. Check out those go faster racing stripes!

Corsair

The mighty RAM maker has decided to broaden it's horizons in the PSU market - and reviews suggest that Corsair have found a winning formula with design, performance and practicality. I found many articles using corsair units as the standard to beat when reviewing new psu's. They have a huge range from 430W-1200W with the Professional Gold Series (shown below), the Enthusiast Series, budget Builder Series and the reliable TX and HX Series.

OCZ

More famous for it's value-for-money RAM memory modules, they have a budget range Stealth/ModXStream which advertise as being SLI/Crossfire ready at ranges: 500W/600W/700W, and a new OCZ ZX Series at 850W/1000W/1250W. Reviews were generally positive and price reasonable - seems to be the sensible all-rounder option.

XFX

XFX is mostly known for its graphics cards are the new boys on the PSU block. Reviews were very praise-worthy, with rugged looks, modular system and excellent performance to match. Not sure about lime green fan but build quality and price is excellent. Range: 650W/750W/850W.

Zalman

Zalman have the ZM Heatpipe cooled series, which are stable, clean, efficient, modular and quiet. Range: 500W/600W/750W/850W/1000W. Reviews generally okay but some performance concerns and a hefty price tag.

Useful websites for reviews:
Jonny Guru.com
Xbit labs.com
Hardware Secrets.com

And the winner is....

....read Power Supply Units for Gamers (Part 2).

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